Best Tablet Stylus: Apple Pencil vs S Pen vs Third-Party

The right stylus turns a tablet into a notebook and sketchpad. Here’s how to pick the one that actually feels good.

What makes a good stylus

Three things matter: pressure sensitivity, latency (how fast the line appears), and palm rejection. Get those right and handwriting feels natural; get them wrong and it’s frustrating.

First-party styluses (Apple Pencil, Samsung S Pen) are the gold standard. Third-party ones work for casual jotting but lag behind for serious note-taking and drawing.

Apple Pencil

The Apple Pencil is the best stylus experience, period — low latency, tilt and pressure, and the Pencil Pro adds squeeze and barrel-roll. It’s the pick for iPad owners who write or draw a lot.

The budget alternative is the Apple Pencil (USB-C), which drops pressure sensitivity but keeps the precision for notes.

Samsung S Pen

The S Pen is included with most Galaxy Tab models, which makes it the best value — you don’t pay extra. It’s precise and pressure-sensitive, and Samsung Notes is excellent.

If you’re on a Galaxy Tab, the S Pen is a no-brainer since it’s already in the box.

Third-party styluses

Third-party styluses (Adonit, Logitech Crayon, generic) are fine for basic note-taking and drawing on a budget. They lack the full pressure and tilt of first-party pens.

For kids or casual use, a cheap third-party stylus is plenty. For serious art, go first-party.

The bottom line

Match the stylus to your tablet: Apple Pencil for iPad, S Pen for Galaxy Tab. If you just need something cheap for notes, a third-party stylus is fine.